


flag

by hikawasrinko (ranpoandpoe)



Series: Transdori Week 2021 [2]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Fashion Designer Uehara Himari, Future Fic, Modeling, Nonbinary Character, Trans Female Character, Transdori Week 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29931594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranpoandpoe/pseuds/hikawasrinko
Summary: Looking around the room, way too crowded for Himari’s comfort, she finally spots a tall girl in a corner. It takes her a second to entirely process the view: she’s been imagining someone pretty, but she hasn’t been expecting that. The woman’s hair is wavy and white, clearly not from age as she looks about Himari’s age, and it’s neatly organised in two braids; her posture is contained and elegant, effortlessly standing on her fancy high heels. Her legs are just out of this world and her face, the blue eyes and delicate features, are as beautiful as an angel’s.Not entirely out of her trance, Himari gets closer and coughs, finally getting the lady’s attention. “Oh!” She exclaims like an actress from a 1950s romcom. Her voice is also angelic and Himari wonders if there’s anything she doesn’t do perfectly. “You must be Himari-san! Hi! My name’s Eve!”
Relationships: Uehara Himari/Wakamiya Eve
Series: Transdori Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200932
Kudos: 6





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**Author's Note:**

> transdori week 2021 - day 2 
> 
> eve is so powerful as a trans lesbian model and an idol wow carrying the industry on her back

It’s hard being a stylist, Himari’s already figured that out. It took her some time as well as  _ a lot  _ of contacts and internet forums for her to get a good job—a mixture of well paid and nice exposure—but there she is, at a studio in Tokyo, looking for the model she’s going to photograph. As far as she knows, the article the pictures will be in is a coming out one. The model’s apparently popular and will come out as a lesbian, so her agents require a sapphic photographer as well. Maybe it was her own requirement instead of the agents’, but it’s not like it matters.

Looking around the room, way too crowded for Himari’s comfort, she finally spots a tall girl in a corner. It takes her a second to entirely process the view: she’s been imagining someone pretty, but she hasn’t been expecting  _ that.  _ The woman’s hair is wavy and white, clearly not from age as she looks about Himari’s age, and it’s neatly organised in two braids; her posture is contained and elegant, effortlessly standing on her fancy high heels. Her legs are just out of this world and her face, the blue eyes and delicate features, are as beautiful as an angel’s. 

Not entirely out of her trance, Himari gets closer and coughs, finally getting the lady’s attention. “Oh!” She exclaims like an actress from a 1950s romcom. Her voice is also angelic and Himari wonders if there’s anything she doesn’t do perfectly. “You must be Himari-san! Hi! My name’s Eve!”

She offers her hand and Himari grabs it, feeling the softness of her fingers and the perfume she refused to believe was coming from Eve. She just can’t be that perfect. She’s also clearly excited and—how does she know Himari’s name? She didn’t know Eve’s until—well, just ten seconds ago. “Good morning, Eve!” She replies, because there’s something about Eve that makes it impossible not to be polite. “I’m sorry, but… how do you know my name? It’s just because, um, the magazine didn’t tell me yours, and uh… it’s… you smell really good—fuck. I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud, shit, and I’m also cursing, I’m so sorry—”

Himari thinks the model will just leave, refusing to work with someone so… so  _ Himari,  _ but she just giggles. “It’s okay, thank you! And I know your name because, um, actually, I was the one who chose you. As the stylist.” This brings a blush to Eve’s cheeks; Himari’s expression, on the other hand, is just blank; she can’t really process what’s just been said. “Great fan of your work… by the way…” 

It finally hits her that Eve is waiting for an answer and it  _ also  _ hits her what she’s talking about: Eve, the hot model, who’ll soon come out to the world as a lesbian, according to the magazine, chose her as the stylist  _ herself.  _ Himari suddenly feels the urge to curse again, but this time she manages to stop it beforehand. “I—I’m happy you like it…?”

“I do!” Eve exclaims in response, closing her eyes and clapping, and Himari notices how much of a puppy she looks like at the moment. That gets her to laugh—giggle, actually. “One question, do you wanna go to a café? You’re friends with Tsugumi-san, right? I think that’s how I found you, forgive me if this was too nosy of me… Anyway, we could go there? This first meeting is supposed to be just a conversation, I guess, so it doesn’t need to be here. It’s too crowded anyways…” 

Himari can see she’s struggling to stop talking, babbling words to fill the silence, so she decides to reply soon with a nod. “Tsugu is a childhood friend of mine, we studied together our whole life, basically. Totally cool if we go to Hazawa's Café.” 

The comment puts a smile on Eve’s face and the both of them leave the studio. “So, what got you interested in fashion?” Eve asks when they’re already on the streets, and Himari guesses she’s not comfortable with silence. “I mean, you’re very good at it, so you must be practicing for a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve always loved clothes! When I was a kid, I liked putting the towel around my body in different ways, it felt like designing dresses and shirts,” They laugh. “But in high school, I started matching some items of clothing for friends whenever we went out to the mall, I guess that’s when the idea of having this as a career became more… uh… consistent.”

“Ah, that’s so cool! I’ve been a model since I was a little kid, so I didn’t really have much choice,” She frowns. Himari’s curious to know more, but something tells her they’re not intimate enough to ask about that kind of thing. “It’s a bit lonely, you know.”

They’re already by the door of Hazawa’s Café and Himari doesn’t know, not at all—she isn’t a model and it’s her first time meeting one—but she says, “Yeah.”

“Eve-chan! And… Himari-chan? That’s odd, you two, coming here together,” Tsugumi comments as they get in the café, with a look as if the last thing that visit is, is odd. The place is empty—probably because it’s 11a.m. and the café’s busiest hours are early morning and mid-afternoon, being mostly empty during lunchtime—so Tsugu doesn’t lower her voice. “What can I serve you?”

“The usual for me, thanks,” Eve says and Tsugu smiles almost nostalgically, which doesn’t fail to make Himari curious. Maybe even a little jealous, but that she doesn’t admit to herself. 

“I’ll have… a cookie! I  _ adore  _ your cookies, you know that, and… oh, and coffee! As dark and bitter as my soul,” Himari winks and Tsugu knows exactly what she means. 

“A latte, then. Gotcha.” 

With that, Tsugu goes to the back of the kitchen and leaves the two alone. Himari loves Tsugu, but at that moment she’s way too interested in knowing more about Eve and she feels that her questionnaire would be awkward with Tsugumi there. “So, how do you know Tsugu?” She asks, avoiding putting her elbows on the table, since she’s read in magazines that it’s considered impolite. 

“Oh! I worked here,” She responds. “When I first came to Japan, I mean. I was in high school and I didn’t make that much money with my modelling career yet, so I took a part time job.”

“That’s odd, I’ve never seen you around here,” Himari tries to remember. She knows she’d remember such a delightful sight if she’d seen it before. “I mean, I’d hang out with Tsugu a lot during high school, so I was here practically every day. And I think… I’m sure I would’ve seen you.”

“But I did,” Eve answers way too quickly and a blush takes over her cheeks when she realises that. “I- It’s- I remember you. Here.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, oh my god! I’m so sorry, I don’t remember, my memory’s horrible, ugh-!”

“Hey, no! No, it’s- it’s okay! It makes sense that you don’t remember, since um… I was still in the process of transitioning back then, so. I’ve changed a lot. You might remember me, but not- uh, not connected that it was me.”

Saving the pair from the awkward interaction, Tsugu returns from the kitchen, carrying the food they’d ordered. “Here is yours, Himari,” She announces, laying the latte and the cookies on the table. Then, she turns to Eve. “And yours.” Apparently, the model’s usual order was a cup of tea with milk and mochi. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, I still have to prepare some things for the day, then if you’re still free we can catch up.”

Model and stylist both open a sweet smile as Tsugu walks away. “So,” Eve’s the one who breaks the ice afterwards and changes the subject. “Do you already have any ideas for the designs? How can I help you with that?” She proceeds to take a sip at the tea in a way that makes Himari feel like she’s in  _ Downtown Abbey. _

“Not anything specific yet, no, but it’d surely help to know more about you. If you don’t mind telling me, of course!”

“Oh, don’t worry, it won’t be a problem. So… where do I start…?” Himari considers making the comment ‘why, at the beginning’, but it feels like too rude of a remark to give to such a lady. Besides, it seems that Eve is talking to herself. “I came from Finland, where my mom’s from, but my dad is Japanese. I’m a cancer and I love watching period dramas, and samurai stuff!”

Himari makes a mental note to look into traditional clothing. “Oh, that’s so cool! When you said you started living here when you were in high school, when you were talking about your part-time job here at Tsugu’s family café, did you live in Finland before that?”

“Mhm!” Eve takes another sip of her tea and it comes off as weird, though endearing, that Himari can still see her smile during the activity. “I’ve lived in Finland my whole life, but I’d come to Japan often during vacations and all. My dad kept me close to Japanese culture and traditions, and I  _ love  _ it! Oh, and yeah, I forgot to say this when I was talking about myself, and you probably already know, like, was informed by the magazine, but it’s very important, so. I adore girls.”

“Ah, um… y-yeah,” Himari stutters, but doesn’t know why, but assumes it has something to do with talking to a gorgeous woman about attraction to… well, women. “They did mention that. It’s- It's very interesting- Girls are  _ great,  _ right? I mean- woah.”

Instead of laughing or looking judgemental, all Eve does is slightly blush and nod enthusiastically. “I know, right? Hiding this is so, so hard, then I realized that I don’t need to. I mean, it won’t be easy, but it’s the bushido way, right? Being true to myself is included in that, I think. And it’s not like I can’t defend myself with my mighty sword!”

Now she has a grin in her lips, one that Himari can’t help but match. “Very true! I respect the feeling!” 

“You’re into girls too, right?” Eve asks, taking yet another sip of her tea, then stopping when a realization hits her. “Wait! I’m sorry if that’s disrespectful or too nosy! I’m bad at this~... I’m just trying to keep the conversation going! I very much want to have this conversation! I mean, not the lesbian conversation, it’s-”

Somehow, Eve maintains her graciousness when awkward, in a way that’s almost no longer awkward, and Himari’s only reaction is to giggle. What else can she do? “Don’t worry, haha! Not disrespectful at all. I love girls. Definitely a fellow lesbian.”

“Oh…” Eve lets out a sigh of relief. Even though she knows she shouldn’t, Himari indulges herself imagining that this relief is for having a shot with her—imagining that the pretty, Finnish model is just as bewitched as she is. “That’s great! I mean, a nice addition to the club!”

Using the cup of latte to hide her red cheeks, Himari manages to mumble a, “So are you…!” And that’s when Tsugumi comes out of the kitchen once again and the stylist feels like throwing her hands to the sky and thanking God or whoever is up there listening to her prayers. Because with that timing, there absolutely is someone who’s biased or fond of her.

“So, how’s the mochi?”

* * *

It’s been a week since Himari and Eve’s first meeting, which means it’s the scheduled day for them to try some clothes, make-up and all that jazz. Which obviously means that, when Eve wakes up, her skin-care routine is even more careful than usual and she decides for high heels and a suit, since the weather is cloudy. Also because Himari appears to also be a femme, and if she is more aligned to the butch-attracted side, then Eve has to make sure she still has a shot. 

But she convinces herself it’s only because of the weather. 

With true British punctuality, despite being Japanese and Finnish, Eve arrives at the studio when the clock strikes nine, the time scheduled for them to meet. Surprisingly enough, Himari’s already there, setting the clothes and equipment up for the meeting. “Hi!” Eve greets, startling the stylist.

“Oh! Eve! I…” She takes a deep breath as she looks down, then up, staring at Eve’s chosen outfit. The long gaze reassures her that she’d made the right decision. “I was expecting you. You know that. Of course. I just- thought it was earlier than it is, that’s all.”

“I see! I didn’t peg you as an early riser.”

That comment brings laughter out of Himari. It’s a slightly nervous one, but it sounds genuine. “Believe me, I am  _ not. _ ” She starts walking and, though she doesn’t tell her to, Eve follows. “So, I researched a bit after our conversation and I separated a few things.” Himari starts to grab something out of the enormous collection of clothes in the studio’s room. “What do you think about this?”

At this moment, Himari’s holding a purple kimono with colorful flowers stuck on it as well as a few details in white. “I love this!” Eve exclaims and starts clapping, because she can’t contain herself. 

“Really?” Himari asks, her eyes holding a bit of excitement, but appearing to still be convincing her own brain that she’s gotten Eve’s approval. 

“Yes!” 

“Okay, okay, cool, cool, cool. Good. Great. I have more. I mean, it’ll be more than one photo so you’ll need more than one outfit. So, um,  _ then  _ I found this one,” The chosen piece of clothing this time is a dress full of frilly details. It’s short, but not  _ too  _ short, it’d probably reach Eve’s knees or a little higher than that; it’s color is a dark blue, but there’s a pink lace where the neck would be, and all that alongside Eve’s hair make up the colors of the transgender flag, a detail the model can’t help but notice. She wonders if Himari’d noticed it too—if it had been on purpose.

“Waaaaah, this is so great! It looks like something directly taken from a magic girl anime!”  _ And the transgender flag colors,  _ she thinks.  _ Mention that!  _ But Eve doesn’t obey her brain. “What else do we have?” She has a smirk on her lips, excited to know what Himari’s prepared for her. And, about five—great—outfits later, Eve finds  _ the one.  _ It’s actually the third one, considering she knows she needs to choose three outfits out of the bunch and her mind’s already set on the first two, but she knows that one will be chosen at the moment she sets her eyes on it.

Suddenly, she can’t stop jumping around, clapping and cheering. She tries to hold herself in order to make her eyes stop, but it’s just too exciting! Eve then decides to squeeze the pockets of her blazer instead. “This one. I want this one.” She’s serious and hoping Himari can see the glow in her eyes and the tears fighting to come out of them. The outfit the stylist is holding is a suit, kind of like the one Eve is wearing, but it’s frilly and, somehow, androgynous, and the pattern is a gradient that goes from pink to orange, an explosion that can be compared to watching the sunset. It only isn’t the most beautiful thing Eve’s ever seen because Himari is standing right next to it, a constant reminder of her own pretty self. 

“Y-you like it?” Himari is teary-eyed, though not as much as Eve is, and she guesses there’s something about this dress for her as well. 

In response, Eve just nods. “This outfit, it embodies everything I want with this photoshoot. I’m… I’m in love.” She considers completing the sentence with the words ‘with you’, but opts for keeping it ambiguous. She’s in love with both the outfit and the stylist responsible for it, so Himari shall make it what she will. 

“You got the top three, then?” Himari asks, referring to the outfits. It feels like there’s something she’s hiding, but Eve decides not to push her luck. They aren’t close enough for her to try that, anyway. Instead, she just nods to answer the question.

* * *

It feels weirdly immoral not to tell Eve that I’m the designer of the lesbian suit she chose, she thinks but can’t quite put her finger on why. She knows she’d noticed Himari was hiding something, by the way her shoulders had gone tense through the rest of the session, “Hey, Tsugu!” She calls her best friend who’s standing near a corner of the café. When the girl’s closer, she starts, “Eve said she’d seen me when she worked here, but I… I don’t seem to remember what she was like. Could you… um… tell me?”

Tsugu holds a laugh, though it’s obvious that she’s doing so, and Himari feels slightly offended, but is too curious about the answer to point out. “You’ve certainly seen her,” Tsugu says while she takes the plate and cup off the table, her job as the waitress who’s also the daughter of the owners. “She was your lesbian awakening, I’m sure you remember.”

“She was the cute girl who was nervous about speaking in japanese, clapped her hands a lot and whose shifts were usually during the time we were rehearsing?!” Tsugu just nods, with an all-knowing smile of someone who’s clearly enjoying the situation. “Damn, I gotta talk to her.”

“Mhm. Your high school sweetheart contacts you when she’s going to come out as a lesbian to the world, so you better talk to her or I’m telling Moca.”

That’s enough to send Himari running out of the café and toward the studio. She loves Moca, but being teased for letting her shot pass by when she’s been complaining about her love life for years—well, she isn’t in the mood for that. Plus, that ‘not being teased by Moca again’ had an interest bonus, also known as an attractive, model girlfriend. 

She surprisingly manages to arrive at the studio in a short amount of time, but this isn’t a Hollywood movie, so when she gets there, her make-up is ruined by sweating and her hair is a mess. Eve doesn’t look like the kind of person who would have her feelings affected by ugliness, though, so it’s still worth a try. Himari sprints around the building, looking for the room in which Eve was probably getting ready for the photoshoot. 

When Himari finally finds her, standing right there, wearing that pink and blue dress looking like a walking transgender flag, she hesitates. Not because she has any doubts whether that’s what she wants, but because she’s afraid that’s not what  _ Eve  _ wants. And because she doesn’t know what to say. Also, because that woman is a supermodel, for god’s sake, and Himari’s just… eh. But there’s no time for self loathing, she tells herself, and walks—or better: runs—towards Eve and does the first thing a romantic comedy enthusiast would think about doing: she pulls the girl in her arms and kisses her mouth. 

“I remember you,” Himari explains, because—because it’d felt right. “ I remember you, and I remember you were the responsible for making me realize I’m a lesbian and that I’ve thought about the blue lipstick you applied on your mouth for five years. Just as many times as I thought about smudging it.”

“Me too,” Eve says, holding Himari’s waist a little tighter. “It’s all because of you. When I’d look at you, it was like I finally knew what being a woman was all about. We hadn’t talked before, but you’ve always been my sun. You’re what made me sure I’m a girl and what made me realize that I also love girls.”

“I’m a nonbinary woman, but close enough,” Himari is giggling, then her eyes widen. “Wait. I was your lesbian awakening?”

Eve blushes at that. “Sort of.” (Which means ‘yes’. There aren’t many things Eve isn’t good at, but lying is one of them.) The adorableness in the sight of that just sends Himari over the moon and under her breath, she whispers, “Can I kiss you again?”

“Yes, please.”

Then, Himari once again glues their lips together and it’s so intimate that it feels nobody is watching. Something they find out isn’t true, a few days later when the pictures are edited and over the table, Eve sees a picturesque, film-worthy picture of herself kissing a pink-haired stylist. And well, despite not having dreamed of this as a stylist, Himari is now on the cover of a fashion magazine.


End file.
